Cycling, activism, and other topics by Jim Provenzano, author of PINS, Monkey Suits, Cyclizen and Every Time I Think of You

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday noon's alright for marching

forgiving Elton john's "domestic partnerships are enough" gaffe, via lyric appropriation, I can only say that people will be saying a lot more stupid things before this pans out.

Even though no one past the front of City Hall park could hear what was being said, it attracked thousands.

Preparing to perform near City Hall, the Gay & Lesbian marching band warmed up, while a Socialist-led contingent with a great drum corps led most people away on to Market Street, where, what i think was only the first of two marches, began.

Nobody thought to bring or sell water, food info, except a few clipboarding Marriage Equality peeps and the Socialists.

The roused crowd, in an array of diverse fonts and color schemes, held posters that the Milk set dresser would have envied. Just think if more musicians and outreach had accompanised this seemingly (until someone takes credit) collective, anonymous protest nationwide.

While the socialists should get some credit for inspiring another peaceful, empowering march, their tactics are less than genuine.

For upstaging whatever else was still going on onstage, albeit unheard, (and unseen, since no one got a permit to set up a stage) was a cheap shot at upstaging for no reason or focus.

Of course, even whomever the real organizers were could have offered a shorter route uphill to the spaceship Catholica, and find a true protest target, instead of nestling between such supportive edifices; City Hall and the Federal Building.

The socialist-led crowd marched up into the Castro, just like the Friday march, where it diminished into a mass brunch and bar crawl.

Act up. Fight back. Fried eggs.

More pics HERE. Video next week.I'm a bit of an unintentional luddite, technologically speaking.4pm: helicopters are flying again. There must be a splinter group raising a ruckus...